Throughout this period, I have dedicated a substantial amount of time to exploring novel ideas and systems in order to accomplish tasks. I have always possessed an enormous curiosity as a student. While I may lack proficiency in many areas, this particular skill is one that I take great pride in and have often contemplated sharing and teaching to others. Numerous individuals who are currently pursuing their academic careers find the process of studying to be exceedingly challenging. Regrettably, studying is often perceived as a monotonous and uninspiring endeavor. The crux of the issue lies in people's failure to grasp the true essence of studying. It is a peculiar trait inherent in human beings to relentlessly seek quick fixes while simultaneously neglecting the broader scope of matters; this tendency also manifests itself within the realm of education. People attempt to evaluate the efficacy of studying solely based on examination scores, which, if you ask me, is an inherently flawed metric for assessing one's comprehension of concepts. Consequently, we witness an abundance of academically accomplished resumes that fail to reflect truly exceptional critical thinking skills. Discovering individuals who possess a harmonious blend of academic prowess and bright cognitive abilities proves to be an difficult task indeed.
This challenge becomes even more formidable when one resides in developing or underdeveloped nations, where limitations on educational institutions and opportunities persistently prevail. You are more inclined to think about survival than personal excellence and epistemological curiosity.
This blog delves into the art of cultivating effective strategies to deconstruct intricate ideas, comprehensively grasp their essence, and successfully tackle a wide array of problems. Nevertheless, it is crucial to acknowledge that these approaches are not a "silver bullet". One must foster creativity and invest time in assimilating these methodologies, gradually integrating them into one's own framework. With dedication and perseverance, one can aspire to achieve mastery within a span of 3-5 months. Although the title is "KISS ideas for better productivity and study habits", I am taking a more strategic management approach towards how you look at the world around you, how you strategize, and evaluate any general problem conditions.
Lack of focus
Now, this is a very common problem with students. They simply cannot focus on studying for a long time. Some of them simply open the reading material and stare at it for a long time before abandoning the process or getting lost in a dream world. So you know what I'm talking about. The solution to this problem is not just one or two steps, but rather a systemic approach to studying. Once you embed this system into your process, you're good to go. So how do we deal with this?
Consider this: when you indulge in binge-watching a series, watching movies, or spending time on Instagram, time seems to slip away effortlessly. However, when you sit down to study, the process feels like an interminable stretch of time. This typically occurs because your brain remains inactive and disengaged from the act of studying. (Ponder upon it - while tidying a room or engaging in other activities, your focus is significantly heightened.) How can we overcome this hurdle?
When, where, what, How?
Before we get into complex ideas and steps, let's get with the basics and get them right. I consider When, where, what, How as one go the most important part of the study, a lot of the people think studying is just a process of reading some material and putting this on paper. There is much more to this, study is an activity of processing information, it starts with intaking the information and processing it and understanding it. The crazy part is,
it's pretty easy to understand how much someone is informed a simple test could solve this problem but there are not proper metrics to measure understanding. If you could simply put this when, where, what, how you can easily attain 2x productivity in the study process.
When?
When it comes to studying, timing is a very important component. You need to figure out for yourself what your ideal time is to study. In other words, when is the time where you can easily understand even complex ideas? During this time, you may not need to reread anything multiple times; a simple reading can help you easily formulate thousands of other ideas in your mind. So, what is that ideal time? For me, I prefer late at night. This timing is crucial because it is the time when your brain can break all barriers and function at its peak. So, figure out that time for yourself.
Where?
This is about where you want to sit and study. I have three locations: 1. on my bed, 2. on a study table, and 3. on a chair. So, it's up to you to figure out where you want to sit and study. This is important because when you get bored with one place, you can move to another space and continue your studies. So, figure out where you want to spend your time studying.
What, How?
This is a border question. We will address this question in detail in later blogs, but for now, you just need to understand the word meanings. "What" and "how" are the main parts, and this puts a whole different perspective on your study strategy.
The overall idea to solve the lack of focus is to improve engagement in the activity. In the coming blogs, we will explore a whole lot of new techniques to do that. This is something very basic at a fundamental level. Implement it, try to see the results, and see what you can improve upon. Nothing is going to change in a day, but things will take some time.
Reference :
This exceptional literary work delves into the intersting science of focus. Authored by the esteemed Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, this book elucidates the enigmatic state of mind known as "flow" and unveils the various methods through which innovative minds achieve it. If you possess an inquisitive nature , yea delve deeper into his works.
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